Yoshihiro Sako
Director of Sake at Yuzuki
Yoshihiro Sako is a sake sommelier and the Director of Sake at San Francisco’s Yuzuki Japanese Eatery, a restaurant renowned for using traditional methods of cooking and recipes passed down through generations.
In his role as sommelier, Yoshihiro loves sharing sake with customers as a way to introduce them to Japanese culture. He says, “Since American culture was such a big influence on me in the form of music, movies and literature, in exchange I would like to give back and teach Americans something about Japanese culture through sake.”
Through staff training at Yuzuki, Yoshihiro teaches his staff how to make the best sake recommendations to customers and how to pair sake with food.
Yoshihiro played bass in several bands before dedicating himself to the hospitality industry. He was given the opportunity to manage a sake and wine bar 11 years ago and hasn’t looked back since.
In 2010 Yoshihiro received the Kikisake-shi certification, and in 2015 he started home brewing sake. He is the founder of Den Sake Brewery in Oakland.
Sake has never been as popular worldwide as it is today, nor has it been produced at such a premium quality and with so much variety. In his sake courses, Yoshihiro explains the intricacies of this ancient drink and details how to make the most of its versatility in your venue.
Whatever cuisine you’re serving, Yoshihiro guarantees it can be paired wonderfully with sake!
